312: Chapter 312 What about the Empress?

The back garden was quiet and silent.

After listening to the impassioned speech, Lin Xiao picked up his teacup with a blank expression and took a small sip.

This tea... had a bit of flavor, but not much.

The Imperial Seal, a shocking mystery? Come to think of it, his own guardian of the state also hid some secrets.

The Great Zheng Dynasty had been dead for hundreds of years, yet it still hung over the Central Plains like a lingering ghost.

So many people had racked their brains, even sacrificing themselves one after another, to restore the Great Zheng Dynasty; who knew how many generations had struggled for it.

But the question was... what was the point?

Wasn't the dynasty they were loyal to just another feudal ruler?

"Official Xie Tong, what is your opinion of the Great Zheng Dynasty?"

Lin Xiao couldn't quite understand; did the Great Zheng Dynasty really have such charm?

Why was Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong, even after becoming Prime Minister, still so obsessed with a dynasty that existed hundreds of years before his time and which he had never personally experienced?

Official Xie Tong was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected that after he had built up the atmosphere to this point, Lin Xiao would ask such a question.

It was equivalent to him laying out a full lamb feast, only for this kid to suddenly say he was a vegetarian; it was very frustrating!

"The Great Zheng Dynasty lasted for four hundred years, and it stood in opposition to the Great Gan in the north and south for over one hundred and fifty years."

"According to historical records, at its peak, the Great Zheng Dynasty received tributes from all directions and was at the height of its power."

"But prosperity inevitably leads to decline. The Xiao Imperial Clan valued literature over martial arts, failed to prepare for danger in times of peace, indulged in comfort, and even vigorously developed commerce to increase tax revenue."

"In the final years of the Great Zheng Dynasty, the status of merchants was exceptionally high, to the point where they could even marry into the imperial clan and nobility, which is still a laughingstock today."

"Meanwhile, the Li clan of the Great Gan had become strong and prosperous by constantly fighting against the northern barbarian tribes."

"With the rise of the Great Gan, the fall of the Great Zheng Dynasty was merely an inevitable result of the dynastic cycles on the Tianwu Continent."

Official Xie Tong said: "Lin Xiao, there is actually no need to consider the connection between the Imperial Seal and the Great Zheng Dynasty, nor do you need to pay attention to those remnants of the Great Zheng Dynasty."

"As long as you have the Imperial Seal, General, you will be able to summon a hundred responses and establish your own orthodox royal power. That is what is most important..."

Lin Xiao disagreed in his heart. Did it matter whether the world was surnamed Xiao, Li, or Lin?

The hundreds of millions of commoners only cared about who could allow them to eat their fill and live in peace and contentment.

These gentry were like vampires, constantly clinging to the newly born imperial clan.

When the old imperial clan was about to fall, they would just switch to a young and strong one, repeating the cycle endlessly.

If he agreed, even if he truly became emperor and unified the eight wildernesses, sooner or later, his descendants would also be abandoned by them.

And the commoners at the bottom would forever only be able to live under others' breath and be exploited by them.

What he wanted to create was not another Great Gan!

Therefore, negotiating with a tiger for its hide was not advisable!

On the contrary, that fallen Great Zheng Dynasty was actually quite interesting...

Merchants were essentially commoners, and commoners marrying into nobility?

Didn't this break the shackles of class and represent a great step forward?

Decentralizing power to the local level, wasn't this also a form of indifference toward imperial power and a breakthrough feat?

Although the result was the destruction of the Great Zheng Dynasty, if it weren't for the emergence of a powerful Great Gan in the north, would the Great Zheng Dynasty have had the opportunity to develop a reformist trend of thought?

Eh! Wait!!

Drug-Man Art!?

Lin Xiao suddenly remembered that the reason the Great Gan was able to grow strong seemed to be greatly related to the Yu family using the Drug-Man Art three hundred years ago to capture Yu Prefecture, a key strategic location!

And Daoist Cang Zhu said that the Drug-Man Art was related to the Heavenly Palace!

A terrifying logical chain appeared in Lin Xiao's mind...

What if the fall of the Great Zheng Dynasty wasn't because its lifespan had come to an end, but because the Heavenly Palace wanted it to perish?

If that were the case, it would explain why so many people were still working hard to restore the Great Zheng Dynasty!

Because in their hearts, the Great Zheng Dynasty was never some corrupt, dark dynasty not worth missing.

Rather, it was a utopia in their hearts, a pearl lost in the sea, and a huge regret under the wheels of history!

Lin Xiao felt that he should check more information to verify his guess.

"Official Xie Tong, for such a big matter, this General cannot make a decision immediately."

"Besides, the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal are still unknown, and there is no way to find it, is there?"

Lin Xiao casually brushed him off with a few words; he would stall for time first, there was no need to burn bridges.

"Lin Xiao, regarding the Imperial Seal, it is actually not difficult to find."

"That item was lost along with the Empress of Western Shu. In all likelihood, as long as we can find the Empress of Western Shu, we will be able to know the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal."

"Although the Empress of Western Shu's whereabouts are unknown, the daughter of General Leng Duo is a disciple of the Sword Forest."

"She has not returned to the sect for a long time, so it is highly likely that she is with the Empress of Western Shu, protecting her."

Official Xie Tong said solemnly: "If the General is interested, we can use our connections within the Sword Forest to send fellow disciples to find Leng Bingyan."

"At that time, we will likely be able to find the Empress of Western Shu, and thus, we will have the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal."

Lin Xiao silently cursed the old turtle; he was truly despicable! To actually exploit the bond between fellow disciples!?

"Isn't Leng Bingyan a disciple of the Sword Forest sect leader? I'm afraid ordinary fellow disciples wouldn't be enough to make her reveal her whereabouts, right?"

Official Xie Tong chuckled, "Naturally, it wouldn't be just any ordinary disciple, but rather a fellow disciple whom Leng Bingyan absolutely trusts."

"Lin Xiao, rest assured. Since I, this official, dare to say this, I naturally have the confidence to find the Imperial Seal."

"However, once the Imperial Seal is found prematurely without a suitable person to take it, it becomes a hidden danger, so it has been delayed."

A trace of killing intent surged in Lin Xiao's heart. When he went back, he would ask Leng Bingyan who she trusted the most, and he would have to pay special "attention" to that person.

"And what about the Empress of Western Shu?"

Lin Xiao asked again: "If she is found, should she be killed?"

Official Xie Tong naturally did not know that Lin Xiao had casually posed a "life-threatening question."

He shook his head: "Absolutely not! Not only can she not be killed, but she must also be utilized well!"

"Oh?" Lin Xiao withdrew a finger he had prepared to flick from under the table. "How should she be utilized?"

"Although this woman is just an Empress of a fallen nation, she is, after all, the orthodox representative of Western Shu and even the Xiao Imperial Clan."

"If you can get this woman to support you, General, and abdicate in your favor, what you, General, can gain will be far more than killing her."

"Furthermore, killing her would easily put you in opposition to the remnants of the Great Zheng Dynasty; this matter would not be worth the loss!"

"It is precisely because even the Prince of Nanling did not dare to kill her that the Empress of Western Shu was able to escape, and she has yet to be found..."

Lin Xiao had to admit that if Xiao Qingxuan were not his wife, he might really have utilized her in this way.

There was no help for it; she had so many halos around her, which both made her noble and imprisoned her.

"Official Xie Tong, you are truly quick-witted and exceptionally clever. With such great talent, why not think of ways to support the country and benefit the common people?" Lin Xiao asked.